BEAUMONT, Texas — A new family-owned and operated classic record store is coming to downtown Beaumont soon.
"For the Record" will be a classic record store with a live music venue. The owners envision the space as a sanctuary for musicians and music lovers alike.
They tell 12News that thanks to the City of Beaumont's "neighborhood empowerment zones", they're saving thousands of dollars in opening costs.
The Trenbeath family wants For the Record to become a new hub for all Southeast Texas music lovers and the city hopes it's just one of many future small businesses that will breathe even more life into the downtown scene.
"Earlier this year, I had the idea to open a new records store. I mentioned it, in passing, to Mom over here, we both realized this was the time to jump on it if there ever was one," said Damien Phelps.
Damian's dream of opening up a record store and music venue was inching closer to becoming a reality. He got the green light from his mom, Jen Trenbeath.
"My teenage years were spent watching live music. I've been collecting records since I was about 18. It's a huge part of our lives. We started looking at some of these buildings and thought 'man, the things that we can do!'," Jen said.
The store, located on Calder Avenue, will offer a record store, a large indoor venue area for live bands and a lounge area where you can relax and listen to your newest track.
"<It'll have a very strong focus on local music. This can be a place where the local bands can come play, sell their merchandise and if they have an album, they can sell it here!" said John Trenbreath.
For the Record sits inside one of the city's six "neighborhood empowerment zones". Beaumont Economic Development Manager Christina Lokey says these zones give potential business owners, like the Trenbeath's, new incentives like waived permit fees, expedited permitting and tax abatements for three years.
It's an incentive to encourage small-business growth in downtown Beaumont.
"Permitting fees can get really high. Anywhere from $600 - $1200. There are tax abatements available for $50,000 investment in residential or at least a $75,000 commercial investment," said Lokey.
The Trenbeaths say For the Record will be "ready to rock" by the end of 2024.
"I've always wanted to be a musician. This is the perfect opportunity to give me and others a good place to get started!" said Masek Phelps.
The Trenbeaths say they'll look to put in another live venue in the building that is almost twice as large as their first as their business continues to grow.